February Intro: Chasing Kairos

[lifeaftr_mods]

INTRO LOG: FEBRUARY

Who: New arrivals, and you!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr
When: February 4th and onward
Where: Monsun
Warnings: Mark as needed!

Monsun, for the uninitiated, is an island divided in two, separated by a ribbon of flowing river. To the east, a rich deciduous woodland and perfect temperature heralds a plethora of resources at your disposal, at one singular, significant cost: your very worst traits will manifest the longer you remain in the area, until, by the twenty-four hour mark, you're living your absolute worst self.

By contrast, the island's western region is a harsh wasteland, a swathe of desert with hardly any shelter from the unrelenting sun and arid heat. Most everything here wants, in some way, to kill you, from the landscape to the fauna. Ugly storms and predators run wild, but the benefit is probably exactly what you think it is: namely, that your best traits manifest more and more strongly the longer you remain on Monsun's western half.

You, you lucky band of newcomers, are going to be arriving on one of two sides of the island. Whichever one in which your character wakes is up to you - though they're certainly welcome to head either direction, once they get their bearings.

Monsun, B2: Desert Air Won't Drown You Out
A craggy stretch of desert borders Monsun's northwest coast. Parts of the sand here, the further north you head, seem to have gone suspiciously slushy or boggy...though that might be the beginnings of an oasis that looks like it might be present on the region further up. Or, possibly, something else entirely.

It'll probably be hard to tell when you've got a mess of your own to contend with. Namely, the presence of a predator that's going to be making life quite...difficult for you, the longer you remain.

Nova Scorpions have been unlocked in the bestiary! Nova Scorpions are about one meter in length and have a large stinger to match, with a golden carapace that makes them near-chameleonic when it comes to blending in with the sands they so favor. They are nocturnal by nature and tend to burrow into the sand and form lairs with others of their kind. Occasionally, one might encounter a scorpion carrying its young on its back.

By far the most dangerous thing about them is their venom, potent enough to floor even the most powerful and even those of the nonhuman persuasion. They can be, potentially, milked for said venom if you're in need of a powerful toxin to lace your weapons, but it's recommended that you make sure the scorpion is very thoroughly dead or well on its way before doing any harvesting of its resources. You know. Just to be on the safe side.

The good news, of course, is that your better traits will be amplified the longer you stay on this side of the island. If you don't mind the danger, you're far more likely to earn yourself some help here than you are on the other side of the island.

Speaking of which.

Monsun, C1: So Scared of Overgrowing Youth
By utter contrast, the rich woodlands of Monsun's east give all the appearances of being the best sort of welcome one could ask for. With the island's coast lining the region of C1 to its north and a deep, beautiful green swathe of lush deciduous undergrowth swarming throughout the entirety of the area, one could almost call it idyllic.

One thing is certain: it is very, very beautiful. The presence of so many growing things make it a glorious contrast to the island's western half. And in C1 in particular, there's no shortage of resources. The odd berry bush, the abundance of trees that can be harvested for lumber, if necessary...and the presence of some very odd, but nonetheless potentially adorable little creatures known as mosslings.

What may initially appear to be a tuft of particularly springy moss will, on closer inspection, prove to be something a little bit more. Mosslings are practically indistinguishable from the surrounding landscape unless one is keen-eyed enough to pick out the twin yellow points of glowing eyes nestled among the leafy orbs of their bodies - or unless one happens to spook one by accident, prompting it to scurry hastily away. They are extremely peaceable, extremely docile creatures, though they can make traversing the landscape startling on occasion, for the faint of heart. Aside from potentially edible, leafy flesh, they don't have much use in the way of resources, but they are quite harmless! You, on the other hand, probably aren't so harmless. At least, not the longer you stay here. If you don't start forging your way west, or weaving your way to the island's single mana pool - located on E3 - to get off of it entirely, your very worst self is going to be manifesting, along with all your worst and least desirable qualities. Prone to violence, cowardice, jealousy, or paranoia? Better hope no one else is around to aggravate those traits, because they're not immune to Monsun's psychological effects either.

The only danger here comes from within. But the worst things usually do.

---

All new arrivals will awake with knapsacks, their names stitched to the front. The contents of said knapsacks can all be found in your acceptance notices!

As a final note to those who participated in the Test Drive Meme, bear in mind that those threads, if all parties involved would like, can be game canon in the form of dream-like memories involving a place very much like this one, though the layout is considerably different.

---

Feeling a tad adrift? Make sure to check the Locations Page, which has details regarding the starting areas and a handy map for those who feel better with a bird's eye view!

---

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

Legion | OTA

[forwearemany]

C1:

(They are subdued, when they arrive on Monsun, and their mood does not improve with time.

They pay little heed to the mosslings, focused only on their mission goal: finding those who have recently arrived. It is approximately that time.

Unfortunately, they will not be much in the way of welcome. Chillingly mechanical in their mannerisms, they act autonomously but show little life or emotion save for distrust and dislike of sapient organics.

This may or may not include you, depending.)

B2:

(Under the influence of the desert, the coldness within thaws. When they see another in distress, they rush in, heedless of the danger.

A single shot from the Widow is sufficient to wound or kill a Novascorpion.)

Alert: area populated with hostile lifeforms! Recommend evacuation!

B2

[tokenflavortownie]

[Pyrrha didn't expect to be caught off-guard in this area, but these new scorpion creatures were tricky, and now her Tigerlily was being targeted as well.

She didn't even notice the Novascorpion leaping at her until it was blasted midair by Legion. Needless to say, she seems incredibly thankful, even with the effects of the desert.]

Oh! Well uh, thank you! [She lowers her energy blade, which she'd just used to slice through another Novascorpion.] But I can't leave just yet. I'm searching.

[shiritai]

B2

[ This isn't where she should be.

That's her first thought when she comes blinking awake from the Storyteller's dream into searing heat and almost blinding light. Leiden gets hot, especially, in summer, but never this hot. And though she's sure that she had in fact been dreaming, it's that heat that convinces her that yes, this really is happening. As troublesome and impossible as it seems.

So. First things first, she needs to take stock of her inventory. A cursory inspection of her typewriter reveals it's waterlogged... which is inconvenient, but not beyond repair. The knapsack with her name on doesn't have any food or water, which is more worrisome. And she has no idea which direction she should be heading.

Again, troublesome. But nothing she can't handle.

If you're on the lookout for newcomers then Violet's not hard to spot. She's incredibly overdressed for weather like this, but she seems comfortable enough as she trudges along at a steady pace. She's got her knapsack on, and she's carrying... some kind of travel case for something or other. It's impossible to tell, but it looks bulky. She's also on a... kind of unnervingly straight path heading north. It's not perfect but it's definitely a steadier pace in that direction than you'd expect someone to be able to keep in the desert.

Despite how businesslike her pace seems, once Violet spots someone else in this horrible desert hellscape with her, she'll come to a sharp stop. Rather than immediately making her way over, she stoops for a moment to do... something in the sand with her hand before straightening up and making her way over. ]

Hello. [ Her voice is surprisingly calm and level, considering the Everything she's just been thrown into. ] Have you also arrived here as suddenly as I did?

[prettypurpleparlor]

Excuse me, miss?

[Violet might be forgiven for assuming the person replying to her is some kind of heat-induced hallucination, given that she's quite nearly as neatly-dressed as herself despite being in the middle of the desert... and also literally a spider.]

[Nevertheless, Muffet is greeting her with a polite little wave, calling out to make sure the newcomer doesn't overlook her.]

I don't believe we've met before, have you arrived today? This place can be a bit hazardous...

[It's probably worrying that New Arrival Day has happened so often she's got the general time range for it marked on her calendar by now, but listen. Someone's got to go find the new people before anyone dies. Again.]

[mamaterasu]

[Violet probably doesn't intend to speak to a white wolf - probably only saw a flash of white as the wolf rounded a bend to find shade from the heat herself. She's not dripping wet, but she certainly is damp, having traveled across the river on the eastern side, to avoid the negative effects of that area on her mind and body. It's half the reason she so rarely comes to Monsun - she hates what she becomes. Ravenous, hungry, focused only on eating everything, EVERYTHING, in sight...

Her head turns to the voice of the young woman, ears perking up and tail immediately wagging as a friendly smile pulls up on her lips. She's dusty around her paws, but her coat is pristine white...despite the rather musky smell. Wet dog and all that, plus Ammy has a terrible aversion to anything having to do with personal hygiene. Let her live her best and smelliest life.

Anyway, ahem...hello, friend! Are you lost?]

[postictal]

[This is around the time that new people start arriving. There isn't any kerfuffle on Ensō, so that leaves one other island for new people to be.]

[Tim cuts through the woodland at a brisk pace, wades through the river, and makes it through to the heat-blasted desert. He shakes his hair from his eyes - he keeps forgetting to cut it - and starts making his way across the sands. With his knapsack on his shoulders and an axe in one hand, he'd probably make for a more intimidating figure if he weren't something like 5'4".]

[Of course, it's not long before he runs into someone. Someone young. He keeps his distance, at first, less out of caution and more so not to make her uneasy. A strange adult encroaching on a child's space is plenty of justification for self-defense.]

No, [he says, slowly, carefully.] I've been here for a while.

[tokenflavortownie]

[Stuck in the general sense of morose that she was, Pyrrha had completely forgotten that enough time had passed that new arrivals would wash up on the beaches. Being in the harsh environment of this island ironically helped her mood. It helps that she isn't alone either.

At the sound of a voice, she stops whatever it was she was just doing. Probably talking to her four-legged companion who was keeping up with her at a surprisingly even pace given the state of the area around them. Her friend even seems less concerned about the overdressed and rather calm girl that's flagging them down for a chat.

Then again, Tigerlilies are usually independent creatures. First sign of trouble and spores will fly. Though Pyrrha knows just how to calm her animal companion with a gentle movement of her hand.]

It's okay. [She says to the Tigerlily, not to the girl. Because who knows if things are really okay yet. Now she allows Violet her full attention.] No, I've actually been here for quite some time now. But, you must be new if you're asking that question, I mean.

[And dressed like... well, it reminds her of several friends, actually. Alrighty, another person in need of some assistance!]

My name is Pyrrha. And this... [Points to her Tigerlily, currently smoothing the vegetation around her neck.] is Yuuri.

[deathfindsaway]

[Once word comes that new arrivals are appearing on Monsun instead of Enso, Kravitz heads out to do a quick lap. He doesn't intend on doing much, just keeping a prowl for people he knows-- even if he refuses to go on the forested side. But she addresses him when he's not paying so much attention, peering out over the landscape. He looks more formal than he needs to be, himself, button up shirt with sleeves rolled to the elbow and black slacks.]

Hm? Oh, no, I've been here quite some time. I assume you've just arrived, though? Bad place to be dropped in, absolutely.

[That's not comforting.]

C1

[jagarico]

[The unfortunate thing about beauty, when it comes to Yusuke, is that he can be completely immobilized by it. He wanders around, looking awestruck as he takes in everything around the surrounding area. It really is breathtaking and Yusuke is mesmerized. He keeps reaching for something to sketch with but he has nothing like that for the moment. It's a moment of disappointment before he's distracted by something else. The mosslings' eyes do not escape his notice and he's fascinated by those. Will anything escape his gaze? Nothing will.

By the time you may find him, he's already been here for at least an hour. Wandering around, letting himself get lost in the scenery. To Yusuke this is absolutely amazing and he could stay here until he literally passes out from hunger.

When he bumps into you, face turned upwards as he looks up at the sky, he's definitely been here for over an hour.] Oh, my apologies...I'm just...[He trails off, looking off to another beautiful sight. Oops, he's completely distracted.]

[counterblows]

[Christ, but he hates this side of the island. Hates it.]

[That's standard. Most people hate this side of the island. It brings out the worst in them, despite the trees and the ambience and the kinder weather and the lack of anything that cares to want to kill you. It's not worth the trade off. But because of who Agent Washington is as a person, because this part of Monsun brings his paranoia and his aggression and his anger frothing to the surface, he's in full fucking armor as he's tramping through the undergrowth, on his way to the better side of the island. The hot, arid desert that doesn't make him want to shoot something if he's there for longer than an hour.]

[He nearly trips over someone en route. His reaction is terse, immediate, and involves the whip-quick drawing of a sidearm when his heart jags up against his ribs, nerves shot to hell.]

Jesus -

[His expression is impossible to discern through the visor of faceshielding, Duraplexed and gold, but his tone makes it pretty clear that he's pissed.]

I almost stepped on you.

[ladytakamaki]

[ she didn't think that she'd run into yusuke again; she'd gone searching for ren, shiho--right after makoto disappeared, too--and she'd lost all hope that any of her friends would be here. a part of her is glad they aren't, because lord knows all of the things this place has subjected everyone to, and she's just about to give up her search for yusuke when someone bumps into her.

the figure is familiar. and she knows it's real this time. and of course he's completely distracted during a situation like this. ]

Yusuke? [ her voice is quiet at first, but then she moves to get a better look at his face. it's him!! ] You--you showed up!

[forwearemany]

(Perhaps Yusuke should be more careful, less entranced, more aware of what he is doing.

It cannot be pleasant to smack into a being of hard plastic, after all.

Fortunately, before that actually happens, Legion lets out a loud burst of chatter and takes several steps back.)

Alert.

[bitch4bitch]

--Hey, watch it. [Erika takes a quick step back, her expression affronted beyond what the situation would actually justify. She came here to pick up some supplies and get out, dammit, not to get bumped around by skinny teenagers.]

Y'know, you could maybe try looking at what's in front of you.

B2

[ninjatortle]

[Night has fallen. Eska's never been in a desert before, and it's a REAL jarring switch from the very much underwater environment they were in last. It gets really cold once the sun's gone, huh? Well, no big deal! They can handle a bit of nighttime chill, no problem.

The meter-long scorpion that's come out to hunt, its back bristling with a mass of tiny offspring? That might be a little bit trickier to work with.

Eska, however, seems to be handling it with less hostility and more curiosity. Each time the beast lashes out with its lightning-swift stinger, they pull sharply into their shell and let its point scrape harmlessly against its hard surface. After each try, their snout peeks out from its cover.]

Aw, hey, come on! You'll waste all your venom this way! I'm not prey, I'm a tortle! You want me to run for it instead? I - whoa!

[They sharply retract their head back under cover, narrowly avoiding getting stung right between the eyes. Seems like peaceful negotiations are breaking down, huh?]

[wanderingdoctorfaust]

The good doctor has seldom been away from the infirmary since he first arrived, but the sudden absence of many of the island's denizens has pushed him to ask questions - and learn of the new arrivals every month. Just last month, he was among them. Thus, with word spreading of new people being found on Monsun, he has set out to join the search.

The creatures of Monsun's western side are not open for negotiation, but he is elusive enough to avoid most of the horrors this place has to offer. It is during the more uneventful hours of his search that he hears a voice across the desert, and he's scampering off towards it before he can think twice.

This is how Faust happens upon a familiar reptilian shape currently under assault by one of those giant scorpions he's been hiding from for the entire evening - he needs to act now, before the creature works out how to bypass the shell!

"Young Eska, you are in grave danger! I'm going to distract it - get away from it as soon as you can!"

And with no further elaboration, Faust kicks up sand as he rushes towards the beast with his weapon brandished! Combining his height with the length of the scalpel, he sets to thrusting in it's general direction whilst maintaining a safe distance from it, his attacks intentionally missing and clearly intended to draw it's attention rather than harm it. He adds a shrill roar for good measure:

"We do not serve Tortle here! Begone!"

[mamaterasu]

[Rarely does Amaterasu meander to this island - she hates what it makes her become, just for the sake of scavenging something to feed herself or others - and rarely does she traverse it at night. But things have been happening on Monsun that even she can't ignore. For the most part, the wolf has been absent from the isle, but took to prowling the riverbank on the western side today, trying to fish for anything at all, just to bring back. That, and looking out for trouble...as this island always seems to be a host for it.

Not too long at all does that prevalent trouble reach her ears, and her lifts her head from the water and turn her pointed ears left and right to get a read on the source of the voice. Finding her mark, she races toward it, and finds a...vaguely familiar shape. Like a walnut, but much, much bigger. Hm--oh! When Eska pokes their head out from their shell, distant memories come flooding in - of a dark cavern and a mess of hungry dogs. A cute and very nice kappa stuck on their back, and a lot of petting. Yes, she remembers the petting. ♥

Snorting the wolf prowls closer, careful to keep herself hidden from the predator that is definitely making a, erm..."valiant" attempt at piercing the rock-hard shell of her new friend. Hm, if it's distracted, she may be able to torch that stinger with a line of flame from her reflector...hopefully her stand out white coat won't give her away even past the dunes and dry brush.]

[counterblows]

[By the time the day has closed into night, Wash has made it to the other side of the island, and not a minute too soon - he was starting to lose his goddamn head over in all that dense woodland. Maybe, if he were still over there, he'd be more prone to shooting first and asking questions later, or, possibly worse, simply deciding it's not his problem and steering clear outright.]

[But already, a sense of obligation to help is descending in the absence of that slow-burning anger in the pit of him. There's someone - not human, but that doesn't strictly matter here or anywhere else - protesting with a scorpion-like animal, trying to talk it down, and it isn't working.]

[Wash is nothing if not precise when the situation calls for it. He has a knife, several in fact, so he draws one and winds back, hurling it straight for the scorpion's eyes.]

[devilstongue]

[ There's a splatter of blood nearby as Molly charges his weapons, frost and radiant light coating the scimitars as he hops into the fray with little to no thought.

Yasha's gonna be mad at him again, but fuck it. Maybe a fight will make him feel better than the restless anger state he's been living in lately. ]

Head's up - fuck, I mean down!

[ The warning had to be corrected thanks to Eska's fun shell ability, and then he's whirling in to fight a giant scorpion. Without armor.

...yeah, Yasha's definitely gonna yell at him. ]

[journalname]

[Asgore spent the past few hours on the jungle side of the island, so he's taking something of a roundabout way back to the mana pool. He doesn't enjoy the desert climate, but it's bearable for a few hours, just long enough to help shake off the unpleasant effects of the jungle. Of course, he's also managed to go this long without running into any of the more dangerous desert wildlife.]

I do not believe they talk!

[He calls, and he's quick to go over and investigate. Is this a monster? They rather resemble Gerson, in type if not individual appearance, but he does not recognize them.

As the spider turns towards him, Asgore lets off a burst of magical flames. The bullets stay close to himself in a tight green flare; it's meant to startle, rather than do harm.]

[lesbeau]

[Largely, Beau hasn't explored this island. After Nott disappearing and the Golem Incident Of Which We Do Not Speak, the remaining members of the Mighty Nein have kept to not running headfirst into danger. But she ended up in this place when those doubles were running around last month and Did Not Like It One Bit, so finally she resolves to go back and figure out what the fuck it up. She plans on just canvassing the place, seeing what she can see, but Eska is not quiet or subtle with the sound of that stinger hitting their shell.

Man, why do people not just punch shit? it's easier.

Case in point, here comes a monk out of fucking nowhere leaping on the hydra's scorpion's back, staff finding purchase between plates with her staff and causing it to scream out in pain.]

Dude, move!

[demonpuppy]

[By all rights, Chip should not be here. Like, they really should not be here. Monsun is dangerous, and they're not equipped to handle themself against even half the dangers on Enso's shores. But they'd heard that people might start showing up on Monsun, and after last month--]

[They want to help. They want to do better, and be better, and if that means making an ill-advised run through the woods to the safer side of the island for them to be on, then...well, no one has ever claimed that Chip is smart about things.]

[They see the scorpion-thing attacking Eska, and suddenly realize they didn't think any of this through. They can't haul anyone out of this, they can't help attack it--cupping their hands around their mouth, they shout as loud as they can to the tortle:]

YOU GOTTA RUN!!

[ideismo]

[B2.]

[Well, will you look at that, here's where the monsters are. The proper monsters, anyway - the ones that aren't livestock or whatever Asgore is, the ones that will actually put up a fight and have potential to provide something useful if they're killed, and now that Alexei's found them...well.

Should he leave them alone? Yeah, probably. Is he going to? No.

It's been a while since he's had a decent fight (not counting...whatever happened last month, and he's not going to think about what happened last month if he can help it); sometimes he'll go hassle things for resources on Enso because that's just what you do when you're fending for yourself, but this is new and interesting and they definitely don't want him here, and so naturally, he's got Dein Nomos out and he's very methodically killing the hell out of these with a bigass sword.

You know, as one does.

And it is weirdly methodical; even with the effects of Monsun elevating him a bit and working away the negativity the longer he's here, he still seems...oddly blank. Like there's not much feeling behind what he's doing, if any exists at all. Cold.

He's. He's working through some shit, it'll probably be fine.

For the time being, though, he's got another one down, having finally managed to crack the damn carapace and burying Dein Nomos deep into something vital; he'll withdraw the sword easily, cleaning it off before kneeling down next to the downed...thing here and whacking the stinger off in its entirety. He's got one of those knapsacks with him, too, but it seems like it's seen more wear than the recent arrivals', and it looks like he's emptied it out for the most part for the sake of just. stuffing venom-filled stingers in there.

You know, as one does.

On the plus side, he definitely does look like he knows what he's doing, if you're new and/or just have no idea yourself; on the negative, what the fuck does anyone need with that much poison, man.]

[crosslaced]

You don’t want to wrap those up first?

[He normally wouldn’t be around here, but let’s ignore that for a bit. Much like how he’s ignoring the oddities of the scenario- not that he thinks it isn’t suspicious, but because it’s pretty stupid to call a potential schemer out on their schemes. It’s just as well to focus on the logistics of animal parts collection.

Other than his blonde hair and dark clothing, the other thing noticeable about this young man is that he’s on a horse. This is off to a great start.]

[scythegun]

[Alexei isn't the only one who hasn't been thinking about what happened last month. Yeager's been perfectly fine being on his own since then, keeping to himself and occasionally wandering off to fight things, because that's still something he enjoys. It's the reason he's out here today, after all.

Not that he's particularly fond of the desert, of course, but the scorpions are fun to fight, and he's likewise picked some poison up from some of them.

It's not really surprising when he runs into Alexei, and he watches the Commandant finish off the scorpion before speaking up.]

It looks as though we had the same idea today. That certainly is a lot of poison; do you really need that much?

[Despite the words, the question is curious and not pointed. Yeager's still got his weapon out, but he's not turning it on Alexei unless Alexei decides we're throwing down out here in the desert. He sort of doubts it'll come to that, though.]

Kirito | OTA

[vorpalstrike]

B2
[ When Kirito's eyes fluttered open, it's because he almost choked on the sands that comprise the desert. Coughing and sputtering, generally looking like a flailing idiot. However, the panicking subsided in moments as confusion sets in right after. ]

...Where...?

[ Being completely lost in an entirely new place unlike the tower he just fell out of with another person really makes it difficult for him to make sense of anything right now. So he's getting up, and well. Going to start yelling for the friend he was with, and the girl that he was thrown out with. ]

Eugeo!? Are you here!? Alice!?

[ No response, obviously, but can't say he didn't try. ]

[onegreeneye]

[Ginko had thought it seemed to be about the right time for people to start showing up again - and it seems that his guess was about right.

He barely reminds himself that newcomers may not be used to people looking like... well, like he does. ...Though he can hope that the stupid sunhat, at least, might make him look less like... well, a monster.

Either way, it's from some distance away, about as soon as he hears the boy calling, that he makes his presence known.]

Hey! You just get here?